Lane closure coming to Poplar Street Bridge

ST. LOUIS - You’re about to see plenty of changes to your commute if you use the Poplar Street Bridge. One lane will close for the entire year beginning Friday.

Current improvements include the ramp from northbound Interstate 55 to the bridge so it can be widened. It’s closed through February when one ramp lane will open. Then those two eastbound bridge lanes you’re used to seeing closed should reopen by summer.

Going west, though, drivers will see the lanes drop from four to three, with one lane closed all of next year.

"More traffic than I want to deal with on a regular basis, I’ll be staying in Illinois I guess a lot more than usual," said Illinois driver Scott Cooksey.

MoDOT said the Poplar Street Bridge is one of only two bridges in the entire country that carries three interstates across a river. The group hopes improvements will cut down on accidents that currently occur at three times the rate of typical interchanges.